"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

"My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

"Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

"Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

"Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

"They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

"O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.

Selah.

"Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

"For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

"O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee" (Psalm 84).

Contents

1 Blessed is the Man Who Passeth Through the Valley of Baca

This World is a Garbage Dump

Place of Tears

Is It a Certainty?

There are Three Ways We Can Face This

Dig a Well

I.    A Well is a Place of Refilling

This Dear Sister Dug a Well

II.    A Well is a Place of Refreshing

III.    A Well is a Place of Rejoicing

The Young Man Won't Quit

BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO PASSETH THROUGH THE VALLEY OF BACA

The word Baca has a double meaning. It means, first of all, a garbage dump. Secondly, it means a place of tears.

As we travel this sojourn of life, we are mindful of two things in our pilgrimage. First of all, this world in which we live has been greatly encumbered by Satan in his quest for control. Its natural beauty has exploded into an unsightly mess, and its charm has been minutely spoiled. The resplendent Garden of Eden that God made in the beginning, and that He one day shall reclaim, has been made ugly by darkness because Satan is the prince of the powers of this earth. In other words, this world is a garbage dump! It houses the garbage of a godless generation bent upon selfdestruction, and the stench would sting the very nostrils of Almighty God.

Secondly, Baca means a place of tears. And, what Christian has not, at one time or another, been made to pass through a place of tears, a place of suffering, or a place of sorrow? It doesn't matter that you live close to God. In fact, the Bible called Job perfect. But, the fact still is, Job passed through the valley of tears, of suffering, of sorrow, of loss —and on and on we could go. But, thank God, he did pass through them. It may have seemed like an eternity at the time, but it was only a passing through, Hallelujah!

I want to deal with these two things, especially the place of tears. But, first I'll address myself to the first meaning of the word Baca.

This World is a Garbage Dump

The closer you live to the Lord—in proximity to His righteousness, His love, His purity, His grace—the more you see how reprobate and asinine the world actually is; and you realize how adverse to sensible thinking its logic is.

When we look at the United States and Canada, we have to realize that, in spite of all our problems, these two nations (plus a few others we could name) are still the greatest places on the face of this earth.

Especially when you travel around somewhat (as we do) and you see the squalor, the poverty, the heartache, and the slavery that is predominant in so many other nations of the world, you come back to these shores and realize just how fortunate a people we are.

Many folks who are attuned to this world system may endeavor to accredit these blessings to a particular political party, to educational advantages, or facilities, etc. However, you and I that live for God know better. We know that God and God alone can account for the blessings upon these nations. Still, friends, even in the best of surroundings and the most favorable conditions, there is much heartache and sorrow. Sickness and suffering abound on every hand.

Our newspapers read like horror novels. Their headlines shout to us the evil and repression of the world over. We see the terror of Cambodia, where teeming millions have either starved to death or been killed by their own slave masters. We felt the helplessness of the Iran situation, and ached for the return of the hostages.

There would seem to be no end to these real-life dramas. The world is a garbage dump.

You see, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, in olden days, there was an actual valley of Baca where the refuse of the city of Jerusalem was dumped. The place was typical of all garbage dumps, emitting intense, nauseating odors. One could smell the fumes and see the winding of greasy smoke going up from the continuously burning refuse. To add to the already offensive smells, all the dead animals were thrown right in with the rest of the trash!

Now, as the inspired writer of the eighty-fourth Psalm is telling us (as the Holy Spirit moved upon him), we as children of God have to pass through this garbage dump of the world system. But, notice with me—and I repeat what I said earlier in my message—he didn't say we have to stay there! We just pass through it! And I have to shout hallelujah! One day soon the trump of Almighty God is going to sound; Jesus Christ is coming back; and He is going to change this miserable, deplorable world system. The "garbage dumps" of this world are going to burn for the last time, and the Son of Righteousness will return with healing in His wings! Once again, there will be paradise as God intended from the very beginning.

Place of Tears

The real crux, or body, of my message will deal with the second meaning of the word Baca—a place of tears. I think that, essentially, every Christian has resigned himself to the fact that this world, at its best, is basically a garbage dump. We look forward to the day when God will change it, and change it He will. However, this place of tears is something that we all must face. Sometimes Baca will come upon a child of God in cataclysmic suddenness, while at other times it is a creeping malady. There may be seasons when we understand the reason, but more often we won't have the slightest notion as to why we're forced to travel through the valley of Baca, this place of tears.

Illness ravages our physical bodies. We face the loss of a loved one. We experience tremendous financial reverse. Great oppression comes upon us. Tremendous testings and trials befall us. Loved ones turn their backs on us. There are times when the place of tears becomes so austere that we feel as Elijah felt when he asked God to let him die. Many of you know exactly what I'm talking about. This place of tears knows no strangers. It has no preference. It accommodates the best as well as the worst, the rich as well as the poor. It comes to the great and the Godly as well as to those that seemingly are not very consecrated.

Is It a Certainty?

I do not think I would be either scripturally remiss or presumptuous to say that this place of tears is a certainty for all Christians. It may be much worse for some people than it will be for others, but I think the Bible bears the basic truth out. The Scripture tells us,

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (I Peter 1:7).

Then Peter said,

"But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled" (I Peter 3:14).

Peter went on to say,

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (I Peter 4:12-13).

There are Three Ways We Can Face This

As these things come upon us, whether they be light or heavy, whether they be large or small, whether they be catastrophic or abusive, we can do one of three things. It's our choice.

We can chafe under the problem—grow bitter, get angry with God, even blame God for our difficulties. We can look at other people and think how great they're doing in contrast to our own "pitiful" circumstances; and we grow bitter, even to the point that we eventually lose our soul over the situation; or, at the very least, we make our life and the lives of those around us totally miserable, and the situation goes from bad to worse.

Secondly, there are those who would tell us if we confess a thing perfectly, there will be no more problems. That is, if we say the right words and have the right confession, there will never be another difficulty. We can confess our way into a blissful heaven-on-earth type situation. Now, I believe in a right confession. It hurts me when I see Christians give in and confess a litany of defeat. It's anti-God, anti-faith, and antiWord.

But, at the same time, we cannot really confess ourselves into some kind of paradise situation, either. It is erroneous to teach Christians that if they phrase every word just right and if they say all the right things, their desires and wants will be brought to fruition; and consequently they can escape all the trials and tests that come upon the child of God. There is nothing in the Bible that bears out such a thing. Actually, the very opposite and reverse is true.

Certainly we are to confess victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. But that does not negate the desire and ability of Satan to cause us problems. Satan hates us. He will commandeer every force of hell against us, and in the final analysis of life, this positive confession will not always work. Multiple hundreds of thousands have said all the right words, yet chaos struck, and they were tremendously confused. Many have grown bitter and even turned their backs on God —simply because of erroneous teaching and doctrine.

Thirdly, what I am about to say is, I believe, the correct and proper answer, the message that the Psalmist was communicating to us. If we must pass through this valley of Baca (this valley of tears, this place of tremendous tests and trials), we can chafe under it, we can choose to believe some magic word will make it go away, or else we can do what the Word of God says. We can make a well! In other words—in the midst of a desert, we can plant a garden. In the midst of barrenness we can, by the help and grace of God, dig a well. This is the key. Dig a well. This is the answer. Dig a well. "Blessed is the man who passeth through the valley of Baca and maketh it a well." That's what Abraham did. That's what Joseph did in prison. That's what Paul did in the Philippian jail.

The list is endless. We face adversity, but thank God the way to face it is to serve notice on the devil that he will not stop us. Even though he slings his mud at us, he does his utmost to hinder us, he brings his biggest weapons to bear upon us, we will not be defeated. We will dig a well. We will bring light to a parched and barren land. We will see the waters (that are representatives and types of the Lord Jesus Christ) flow to a thirsty and darkened world in spite of everything hell can do. In spite of sickness, in spite of tragedy, in spite of financial reverses, in spite of problems and difficulties—we will dig a well and we will be that which God would have us be. That is the answer. There really is no other scriptural way.

Dig a Well

Some of you reading this at this very moment have chafed under your problem. You've been told by some preachers that you should thank God for it. But, of course, that is totally absurd. It makes no sense whatsoever. There is nothing in the Word that even remotely hints at such a thing. No, you do not thank God for the problem, but you thank God in spite of the problem. This is where it's all at. This is where we win or lose. You do not praise God for the sickness. You do not praise God for the difficulty, the test, or the trial—but you praise God in spite of the sickness, in spite of the difficulty, in spite of the test or trial. Here is the answer. You dig a well. Many times the only lights that shine in today's darkened world are Godly individuals who, when faced with all kinds of adversities, instead of giving up, dig a well. These are the people that Satan cannot stop. Being great in God does not mean being exempt from disturbances or hindrances.

It means going on in spite of the obstacles or roadblocks. You accomplish the mission and the task that God has called you for, whatever it may be. You dig a well. Blessed is the man who passeth through the valley of Baca and maketh it a well.

I. A Well is a Place of Refilling

The Scripture says blessed is the man who does this thing. In other words, God blesses individuals who refuse to knuckle under to the powers of darkness and the devices of Satan. He wants His children, in spite of adversity, to dig wells in the midst of barrenness; because wells that produce life-giving water are the only places where a thirsting world can be refilled. This world cannot hope to find Jesus Christ except they see Him in you and me. There is no way they can know the love of God except they feel and sense that love through you and me. That is the reason Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world; ye are the salt of the earth." The world is full of hungry hearts and thirsty souls.

Millions are searching, and many do not even know what they are searching for. They can only satisfy their quest through the example that we set for the Lord Jesus Christ. And, the only way that we can effectively set an example is to dig a well in the midst of the barrenness.

This Dear Sister Dug a Well

I remember back when I was a boy at home, being raised in church. There was a dear lady in that church (I will not give her name) full of the Holy Ghost. Our church was very small. We could not boast of large numbers in attendance. But, this sister was among the most faithful in the church. Her situation was far from good. Her husband was an ex-convict, having served time for killing a man. You can imagine the stigma attached to the family as a result of this.

When he did get out of prison, he was a confirmed alcoholic. Actually, he was a drunkard. He did very little to help earn a living for the family. This dear sister had to be both mother and father to the rather large family. She worked in a five-and-dime store to try to eke out a living for her children. It was not an easy life. It was nip-and-tuck trying to make ends meet. But, this is the thing that I must say to you. This is the point I would make. Tragedy had struck. Her situation was not good. Her lot in life was not easy, to say the least. She could have chafed under the load, and blamed God. But, not so. She was Godly; she was dedicated; she was consecrated; she lived for God incessantly. However, there were no Cadillacs in her driveway. In fact, I do not think the woman even owned an automobile. Her clothing was the least expensive that she could buy.

Hers was a life of total adversity—an abusive husband, a large family, a trying to somehow make ends meet. Seemingly, it would be enough to stop anybody—a hopelessly gloomy and despondent situation —but I don't remember ever in my life seeing that woman except that she had a bright smile on her face. She was full of the Holy Ghost.

Actually, she was the one (along with my grandmother) kneeling right beside my ear, in a faint whisper, praying, "Lord, he's mine, he's mine, he's mine" the moment the precious Lord Jesus Christ baptized me in the Holy Ghost so long ago. I don't guess I'll ever forget that. So, she has a special place within my heart.

This precious woman was the manager of the five-and-dime store where she worked. She had very little education, but everyone in town loved her. Business boomed because everybody wanted her to help them (wait on them), when they would come in. She had a kind word for everybody. She seemed to always have the answer.

Everybody would confide in her their troubles, for she always knew just what to say. They would come in with shoulders drooping, and they would leave with heads and spirits lifted. Strong, wealthy businessmen would pour out their hearts to her. She would stand there, over that five-and-dime counter, and give them a word from the Lord Jesus Christ. They would leave inspired and encouraged. She dug a well. She set an example to me and many thousands of others. She and my grandmother were the best of friends. They were inseparable. You would see them together so often. I think they talked of nothing except the Lord Jesus Christ. They dug a well.

When this lady died (an obscure ten-cent-store clerk, a woman with very little education, one with no financial means in this world), so many people attended her funeral that they stood forty to fifty deep outside the little church. I think every prominent businessman was there. Why? There's really only one answer. In spite of her adversity, in spite of the fiery trial that enveloped her, in spite of the stigma of an ex-convict husband, in spite of the drinking binges of her husband, and in spite of the problems of raising a family without any help, she dug a well. She was a ray of sunshine in a darkened world. I know of no greater example of Christ than this one child of His.

Paul and Silas sang in prison. They dug a well. The eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews is a litany of well diggers—Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, to name a few. Moses dug a well, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. The Bible says, "(Of Whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth." But, what made them different? They had faith in a mighty God, and they obtained a good report—they dug a well.

II. A Well is a Place of Refreshing

Why are some Christians refreshing? Why do folks want to be around them? Why do people enjoy hearing some preachers preach? Why is it that some Christians seem to illuminate a room? These types of Christians seem to always be able to uplift others around them. They radiate a certain joy. It is refreshing just to be in their presence.

A well is a place of refreshing. It is a place where tired men may rest, where they can be rejuvenated and restored— physically, mentally, and spiritually. This world is tired. The only rest there is, is in Jesus Christ. There is no rest for the wicked, the Bible tells us, but there remaineth rest for the people of God. A well provides that place of needful refreshing. That is the reason we must dig a well.

Why is it that some churches are bursting at the seams, so to speak, while others have virtually no one in them at all? Some have—through sweat, tears, and much prayer—dug a well. Others are constantly griping, complaining, and bickering among themselves.

Why is it some preachers have massive crowds, and others, no one cares to hear them? The answer is fairly obvious. Some have dug a well. The water flows abundantly clear and clean. They've faced adversity. It's been hard. The backside of the desert lasted a long time; but, thank God, at long last water was struck and it flowed beautiful, clear, refreshing, and clean. They dug a well! "Blessed is the man who passeth through the valley of Baca and maketh it a well."

David Brainerd died in his early thirties, but he will always be remembered for his tremendous Gospel message of Jesus Christ that he took to the savage Indians of North America so long ago. Why is David Brainerd remembered? He dug a well. In spite of the tuberculosis that killed him, in spite of the terrible trial that came upon him—he didn't let it deter him—he dug a well!

John Wesley lived until his mideighties. His wife was the very opposite of what a Godly woman ought to be. She was a constant source of embarrassment to him and a thorn in his flesh. At times she would stand up in the services and openly repudiate the very Gospel he was preaching. She would fabricate all manner of lies against him, even in public. But, he never let it stop him. He dug a well. He founded the mighty Methodist church and effected the tremendous revival that broke out over North America. He dug a well.

III. A Well is a Place of Rejoicing

Water brings life. It brings rejoicing. It brings happiness. Some, as they face the adversities of life, may feel they can never be happy again. The pain is too deep. The wound hurts too much. But, oh, if they will just stop and dig a well! If they will just refuse to indulge in the luxury of bitterness. If they will simply not use the world's barometer and think "Others have all the good things, and I've been passed by in this life."

This talk is not of faith. This attitude is detrimental, negative, and harmful. Instead, if they will only dig a well—it will not be just a place of refilling and a place of refreshing, but it will be a place of rejoicing. The happiness will come. God has channels unbeknown to us. To retreat is not the answer. Our answer is to advance—to dig a well! Then—as we help others, strengthen others, love others, as we let our lights shine—the rejoicing comes, "...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

The Young Man Won’t Quit

I know a young man who, at the time of this writing, is sixteen years old. This should be a time of tremendous physical activity in a boy's life. He should be playing football, baseball—enjoying life to the fullest—but this young man does not engage in any type of sports or physical activities. He is, by and large, paralyzed with multiple sclerosis.

His is a desperate situation. Your heart would break if you would see him. You would see wasted limbs, a body that does not function according to command, arms and hands that do not respond, feet that cannot walk, a speech that slurs—but yet, his face emanates a joy that defies all description. When you talk to him, to encourage him—you leave, having been encouraged yourself. He talks of nothing but God. There seems to be an aura about the room. The Spirit of the Lord is so prevalent and present. He reads his Bible and talks about the Lord Jesus continuously. He is constantly praying and seeking the face of the Lord.

One might ask the question, "Why doesn't God heal him?" I don't know, and that's the only answer I can give. Some of the greatest men of God in the world have prayed for him. I've prayed for him incessantly myself. I've fasted a number of days, believing God for his healing. But, we've seen no healing yet.

Now, what is this young man to do? He could blame God, he could chafe, he could grow angry, or he could become bitter as he sees his brother and other boys and girls enjoying life while he is in this terrible condition. But, no, he hasn't let any of these things happen. Instead, HE HAS DUG A WELL! HE HAS DUG A WELL! HE HAS DUG A WELL!

As you read this little booklet, some of you have grown bitter, you have chafed. That is not the answer. It never will be the answer. Your answer is to look the devil right in the eye and say, "I praise God—not because of this sickness, suffering, sorrow, or trouble that I'm forced into—but I praise God in spite of it. I will not lose my victory. I will not lose my praise. I do not know why I am not healed. I do not know why this misfortune has come upon me. I do not know why I have lost my loved one. I have no answer to these problems. I don't understand. But, instead of burying myself or growing bitter and distraught, I will dig a well! I will dig a well! I will dig a well!"

Table of Contents

1 Blessed is the Man Who Passeth Through the Valley of Baca

This World is a Garbage Dump

Place of Tears

Is It a Certainty?

There are Three Ways We Can Face This

I. A Well is a Place of Refilling

This Dear Sister Dug a Well

II. A Well is a Place of Refreshing

III. A Well is a Place of Rejoicing

The Young Man Won't Quit